


Lull

by APgeeksout



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Sleep, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APgeeksout/pseuds/APgeeksout
Summary: It’s night on the ship - or at least what Asgard has agreed to call night until such time as they have solid ground under foot and a sun (or two, or three; no one is picky at this juncture) overhead.  The corridors he paces are lit dimly, his people all tucked securely into their quarters, sleeping peacefully with the knowledge of Heimdall’s alert presence on the bridge.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24
Collections: All The Nice Things Flash Exchange 2020





	Lull

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Entwinedlove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/gifts).



> Set at some nebulous point post-Ragnarok, pre-post-credits scene, or perhaps in an AU where those later not Nice Things just aren’t going to happen at all.

Thor almost doesn’t see the snake. 

It’s night on the ship - or at least what Asgard has agreed to call night until such time as they have solid ground under foot and a sun (or two, or three; no one is picky at this juncture) overhead. The corridors he paces are lit dimly, his people all tucked securely into their quarters, sleeping peacefully with the knowledge of Heimdall’s alert presence on the bridge. 

Their King should probably be at rest as well - he expects Valkyrie to pass by on her own restless nightly rounds to tell him as much any moment - but the ship’s stores need replenishment and its residents need reassurance, and sleep is evasive. Perhaps he will take her up on the offer of a nightcap when she appears; the hangover from sampling the product of her engine-room still can’t be that much worse than the one from another night of broken sleep. Can it?

So preoccupied, he drifts into the staging area that’s been converted into a library and classroom for the children, and it’s not until he has already flopped regally - one benefit of taking the throne: every action he takes is now, by definition, regal - onto the bank of cushioned seats that he registers that he is less alone than he feels. 

The snake extends its head and some portion of its slinky emerald and gold body over the seatback and peers down at him, tasting the air with a forked tongue. 

“I’m glad of the company,” he says, extending a hand. “I won’t even mind too much when you stab me.” 

The snake shifts its sinuous shape in a way that somehow conveys haughtiness and deigns to set its cool scales against his palm. He slowly lowers his arm back to cross his chest and watches with heavy eyelids as the creature gradually winds itself around his wrist in a series of gleaming coils. His last conscious thought is that it’s something like intricate jewelry or ornamental armor, cool to the touch until it takes up the warmth of his skin. 

He wakes to find that the serpent is gone, but he is not alone. 

His head rests on a silken pillow nestled on Loki’s lap, a rich green cloak is spread over his legs, and instead of the snake, his wrist is circled by his brother’s fingers. “Loki,” he says, not yet conscious enough to be sure whether he means it to be a question. 

Regardless, Loki has an answer for him. “Stabbing is rather less rewarding when you’re expecting it.” 

“So this is you lulling me into a false sense of security, then?” 

“And, once again, you’ve fallen right into my trap.” 

Said in a less soothing tone, the words might be sinister, but suddenly there are careful fingers combing through his hair in the gentle rhythm that their mother had always used, and he’s so warm and relaxed and comfortable here that Thor feels himself being lulled mostly back into sleep. 

Still, he doesn’t think he’s dreaming yet when he hears Loki say “It will be another hour before the children need their room back. Sleep well, my king.”


End file.
